School Bans Cookies, Candy, & Cake

Some parents are calling school officials in Colorado “food Nazis” after they announced a ban on all sweets, including cupcakes, candy bars and even birthday cakes – unless the cakes are made with district-approved recipes.

School officials in Greeley, CO advised parents that new federal guidelines require all food served on grade school campuses to adhere to strict calorie counts.

Teachers will no longer be able to reward students with a piece of candy for good work. Instead of a Jolly Rancher, students who excel might be given a pencil – or an eraser.

“Fundraisers held at school are no longer allowed to include food items of any kind,” said Jenna Raymond, of the District 6 Nutrition Dept. “Rewards for children are to include gifts such as erasers and pencils.”

The Greeley County School district is even banning sweets at off-campus fundraisers.

“The only food items allowed to be sold for these types of fundraisers are those that meet the nutritional guidelines,” she told the Greeley Gazette.

That means no more sweet treats like cake at birthday parties or class holiday parties – unless the cake is made with a recipe approved by the school district.

“We have a recipe we use in the district that uses black beans and the kids love it,” Raymond told the newspaper.

Anita Colwell’s nine year old daughter is a fourth grader at Scott Elementary School. She said her daughter refuses to eat the cafeteria food.

“I know they are trying to make their meals more nutritious, but when they implemented the new guideline, my children stopped eating cafeteria food,” Colwell told Fox News. “They won’t touch it. The food is horrible.”

Colwell attended a PTO meeting where parents were informed of the pending changes. She said parents are furious.

“They’re dictating what I can send with my child for lunch – what I can give them for a treat at a school party,” she said. “I don’t believe that’s right. It’s my child. I should be able to feed them whatever I want. They’re not raising my child. They’re not paying for their orthodontic bills. They’re not tucking them in at night telling them they love them. But yet they’re telling me what I can and can’t feed my child?”

She said school officials are acting like “food Nazis.”

“This is how it starts,” she said. “The government is sticking their nose where they don’t exactly belong.”

Colwell said the kids have to have some fun.

“I don’t think it hurts a child to have a cupcake at a Christmas party or getting a piece of hard candy from a teacher if they get 100 percent on a test,” she said. “They should be allowed to have rewards that entice them to do better in school – and a pencil is not going to cut it.”

She wondered what other moms were going to be able to send to school for class parties.

“What are we supposed to do – send them nuts and boiled eggs for treats?” she said, noting that eggs and nuts are within the nutritional guidelines set by the school.

The school district also defended a ban on diet soft drinks.

“The American Association of Pediatrics has said that around four ounces of fruit juice is perfectly health for your children, and that is healthier than diet soda,” Raymond lectured parents.

That led Colwell to wonder how teachers will enforce the regulation.

“What are they going to start doing – checking every water bottle they bring in to make sure it’s not pop?”